Simply Living
by Uchiha Sasha
Summary: I wasn't going to have a good time in this school, no matter how quickly I left after class ended. Why? Well, other than being pretty much exiled, I was leashed by the one thing I lacked the most. Yeah, Ouran sucks.
1. Entry

I couldn't believe this was happening, I just couldn't. My eyes just continued staring at the paper blindly through my long bangs. After all that hard work... Was this really real? I felt as if I would suddenly wake up and be forced to accept the reality that I hadn't made it.

Shock was so huge in amount I didn't even notice my roommate enter the room, walk up behind me, and read the letter clutched tightly in my sweaty hands. I only noticed the others' presence in the room as he wrapped his arms around me, lifting me up and congratulating me non-stop. Only after a few seconds in the weird hug did shock finally leave me, allowing happiness to flourish and blow me away. This wasn't a dream! This wasn't! A smile could not help but brighten my face as I chanted, told myself continuously, in my head that this was _actually _real.

Other people finally gave in to curiosity and made their way to our room, we probably looked completely ridiculous! One was lifting the other in an awkward hug from behind while the one who was being lifted, in other words me, was grinning like an idiot while holding a piece of paper as if for my dear life. Yep, everyone stared at us, silently inquiring why the hell we were acting like morons.

"She passed the entrance exam! She is now a first year at Ouran!" Thankfully, my roommate answered for me, because I felt I couldn't speak with all the excitement and happiness that was running in my veins. Everyone cheered at the news, their confused looks fusing to that of pride. When I saw the looks of admiration and sheer joy I was receiving from the younger kids, I felt my ego swell. Everyone knew how hard I worked. Hell, the younger kids even knew not to bother me when I was studying because I was so serious and determined about it. I felt accomplished, especially since only one scholarship student is allowed to enter the prestigious private high school every year. To think that I was chosen out of all the candidates really made me feel accomplished and satisfied.

"Nee-chan!" One of the younger girls, Shiima, said stepping forward a sad look gracing her tiny face to form the perfect puppy dog face "Does this mean you won't be able to play with us?"

I chuckled and threw her, and the rest of the children behind her, a toothy smile "Of course not! I always have at least a little bit of time to play with you guys!" Their faces immediately brightened. Apparently content with the promise of playtime, most of the kids left the room. Probably back to playing their little games, I thought fondly then continued picturing the kids playing outside as the adults continued to talk amongst themselves.

"But really, **omedetou **Akira-chan." Jirou, one of the few adults there, congratulated me, offering a smile which I gladly returned. Really, I was all smiles as everyone else congratulated me. Once the last adult left and returned to their post, the only ones left in the bedroom were my roommate and I.

"Shuugo?" I whispered quietly, and the black haired teen turned to face me "Can you actually believe it?"

"Honestly?" He began, smirking slightly "I'm having a hard time believing it. It seems so unreal, you going to that high school for spoiled brats..." I chucked my pillow at him and laughed, the happiness from the news still making me almost irritatingly bubbly with joy.

* * *

First day of school and obviously I was a little nervous, like any new student _should_. In every one of our classes, the teachers asked us to stand up and present ourselves. Now, normally I wouldn't mind that at all, but when you're the _only_ one that doesn't know a _single _person in your class it's just plain sad. Everyone knew each other. Some attended the Ouran academies all their life so they were almost childhood friends. Others just happened to meet in one of those fancy balls or parties the rich people attended and hosted. The only unknown being there was me, and I also happened to be the poorest by far.

To add it all up, everything was pretty frustrating. Everyone knew each other and wore the expensive uniform required for school, while poor little me didn't know a single soul and was still saving up for the stupid uniform. Not only that, I was the only one who actually brought a lunch box instead of eating the cafeteria's fancy caviar.

I could hear my classmates whispering not too far away from me, obviously gossiping about my lower social status or the fact that I was this year's scholarship student. Either way, it didn't brighten my day at all. I know I was almost intoxicated with excitement when I first received the scholarship, but now I sort of felt sorry for myself as I would probably have to deal with this for the next three years.

By the end of the day, the only thing I actually looked forward to was playtime with my favorite little brats. School didn't seem like it was going to be fun or easy. Not only because of the people, but also the fact that this school was definitely more challenging than middle school had ever been. I was almost regretting my promise to Shiima and the others, maybe I shouldn't have promised anything at all when I didn't truly know how much work I'd have...

Somebody in the train bumped into me and interrupted my trail of thoughts. I shook my head, not believing that I would actually break my promise to the kids. That would tear them apart and that was the last thing I wanted. Their childish grins and encouragement were one of my main fuels to dedicating myself so much to the books. My lips curled into a smile as fond memories of games, laughter, and general happiness flashed through my head.

The train's robotic voice announcing the next stop brought me back to reality and reminded me that my stop was coming up. I squeezed myself in between people as the doors opened up and a flock of bodies hurried out the door before they closed once again.

The rest of the walk home I spent lost in thought imagining the next few weeks at school. Yeah, they weren't exactly happy thoughts. I tried to look a the bright side, though. At least there was no bullying, just a little bit too much of gossip for my liking. I could deal with that, hopefully, without getting pissed off too much. By the time I got home my head was filled with negative thoughts of school. Sure, I was happy about being able to attend such a great high school and all, but the environment wasn't really the best for me. Everyone seemed to deem themselves superior to me in every way just because of their "pedigree" and wealth... While I did find that absolutely ridiculous, their superiority complex was just grating on my nerves.

"Onee-chan!" A few kids squealed gleefully, jumping and clinging to me. Sadly, I'm not much of a muscle woman so clinging children only caused me to tip over.

"Hey guys..." I muttered, out of breath and underneath quite a few kids. They jumped up, energetic and unaffected by the fall. With them finally off me I stood up, a few parts of my body stinging with light pain. Everyone quickly apologized and I couldn't help but melt at their cuteness. I know, I'm too soft.

The kids asked me to play with them and I reluctantly said no. They were giving me a really tempting offer, playing over schoolwork. But I knew my responsibilities, sadly, and was going to keep my promise to Shuugo. So, instead of playing with my little brats, I locked myself in my room and tried to finish my homework quickly. I tried not to pay too much attention to the laughter from outside, which only made me feel worse about school.

So far, school didn't seem all that promising, besides the academic side of it. Not a single person seemed "normal" in my class and that irritated me. I was trying to have a positive mind when I arrived, ditching the rich bitch stereotype out the window thinking to myself that stereotypes were stereotypes. They were stupid, unnecessary and completely senseless. At least, everywhere else but in this school. My petty conviction was thrown out the window and the stereotypical spoiled offspring of rich people surrounded me.

As luck would have it, I was absolutely right. I wasn't going to have a good time in this school, no matter how quickly I left after class ended. Why? Well, other than being pretty much exiled, I was leashed by the thing I lacked the most. Yeah, Ouran sucks.

* * *

Okay! So here's the first chapter of my fanfic practice! I will be warning people now: if you are looking for a plot please don't read any further. This story will be character-driven and will follow the life of my OC. I just hope people will enjoy the story and comment on my characterization, writing style, spelling, grammer, ect. Simply Living is just me Simply Practicing my writing and see if I can successfully manage an OC without the Mary-Sue-Flu attacking. For those of you going back now, thank you for reading! For those who will continue reading this fanfic, thank you for your patience! Please do tell me what you think! Also, please tell me my faults! That is what I would love to know, as I am trying to sharpen my writing! Thank you! 3


	2. Tea Cups

One week. One _whole_ week! That's how long I'd been in Ouran. Even after a whole week.... Why couldn't I walk around the school without getting lost? Oh! Because this school is freakin' huge, _that's_ why!

Everyone who saw me could have noticed I was pissed off even if they only glanced for a second. I promised the kids that I would take them to the park this afternoon and so far I was failing badly at keeping the promise. First mistake committed: I allowed myself to enter unknown territory while lost in thought. Stupid mistake, yes, but I'll scold myself for that later. Right now, all I needed to focus on was figuring my way out of the school.

For some reason, right when I need all those stupid bubble heads to help me out everyone disappears. Luck just wasn't with me today, no one was around. You could drop a needle and the noise would probably echo within the pink walls. All I could do was walk around frantically while hoping someone, _anyone_, would pop up.

Laughter jumped around the halls and I just froze. I turned to where I thought the voices came from and followed the sound waves like a hound. Eventually the laughing brought me to a huge door of which led to one of the millions of music rooms the school had. Hoping I was not just hallucinating, I grabbed the door knob and slowly opened the door. My hand was suddenly kidnapped and a rose was stuck in my face.

"I'm sorry, but we just concluded our activities for today." A blond said, kissing my hand and staring at me like I was the female lead of a romantic movie. I snapped my hand away, then remembered that I was the one intruding.

"Ah, um, could you help me find the exit?" My eyes unconsciously went to the ground, ashamed of myself for still not knowing my way around the school. I felt bad enough already, but I only felt worse when I heard people laughing.

"You don't know how to get out of school?" Two ginger boys asked between pants, caused by how hard they left (At my embarrassment). I bit my lip and glared at them angrily, angry at how they had to make fun of me.

"S-so? I'm new here. Everyone else has been here for years." It was a horrible retort, but it was all I could come up with. My stutter in the beginning didn't make it any better, either.

"Pfft! Haruhi at least knew where the exit was by his first day!" Both erupted into laughter again and I was left balling my hand into fists with steam nearly coming out my ears. These two... They were so bratty!

"Fuyuki Akira, correct?" A man whom I hadn't noticed before, with black hair and glasses, asked me notebook and pen in hand. I nodded, anger fading bit by bit as the blond guy scolded the obvious ginger twins. He scribbled something on the notebook with incredible speed, then shut it silently and fixed his glasses.

"Tamaki, we need to leave soon. Please give direction to Fuyuki-san." The one with glasses said, referring to the blond which I now knew was Tamaki. Tamaki froze mid-word, turning around suddenly with stars surrounding him. I took a step back, surprised by the sudden glitter surrounding him. Well, whatever, as long as I got to leave soon...

Still covered by stars, Tamaki gave me directions. He had to repeat them twice at my request, just to make sure I didn't get lost again. No wonder I didn't find the exit on my own, the directions were ridiculous! If I weren't in such a hurry, I probably would just have dis considered it all and continued wandering around. I thanked him, despite being absolutely freaked by the guy, and sent a nice glare at the twins before rushing out the door. Ah, but you see, today just wasn't my day.

Just as I was running out the music room, another student was walking towards the room carrying a tea set carefully with two hands. The obvious happened. I slammed head first into the guy(I tried to stop!), breaking the expensive tea set and cutting both of us a bit. Thankfully, the student didn't get mad at me even if it was absolutely my fault. I felt bad, especially since he got a few cuts on his cheeks.

"I'm sorry! I was in a hurry... Let me help you." I said in somewhat of a panic, despite how the brunette kept telling me it was alright. As both of us were picking up the inumerous shards of the tea set, the guys from the music room appeared, worry obvious in all of their faces. (Especially Tamaki, the drama queen)

"Hmmm, our new china tea set, all broken into tiny little pieces. Doesn't this seem familiar, Kaoru?" One of the ginger guys said, smirking at his mirror-image in a knowing manner that scared me. When the one called Kaoru agreed with his brother, my eyes widened. No...!

"That tea set was quite expensive, Fuyuki-san. I'm afraid you'll have to buy us a new one." Glasses boy said, pushing his glasses back and allowing the light to reflect on them eerily. (He did it on purpose, I'm sure! Just to intimidate me!). Again, he wrote something on a piece of paper, but this time he handed it to me. Just then I realized what it was... What, with all the zeros and all... I gulped, my wide eyes glued to the paper.

"You sure this is the price for a tea set?"

"No," He began, and immediately I calmed down "That is only 5/6 of it. The rest has been put on Haruhi's debt for being careless." Well, so much for that. The guy behind me didn't seem to be affected much, sighing while picking the rest of the pieces up and muttering something I couldn't hear. Glad she could handle it, my jaw was about to pop from how wide it fell. They just couldn't buy a normal tea set, couldn't they?! Oh, I forgot! Stupid rich brats!

"I... Can't pay it, don't have enough..."

"Well, we can tell since you're not using your uniform!" I sent a pitiful glare at the twins, shock still gripping at me. I was fine just minutes ago, now I'm full of debt... How could a high school student get into such a mess?!

"That's alright, Fuyuki-san!" Tamaki suddenly sprang up, speaking loudly and pointing at me "You can work for our Host Club! Then you'll be able to pay your debt, little by little!" I stared at him in disbelief. I was glad for the opportunity, since the school didn't allow any jobs, but it didn't sound appealing either. But... Did I really have that much of a choice? The only other ways would be to risk expulsion and get a job, or ask Shuugo to pay(Which I wouldn't even consider). So I did the only thing I could at that moment and took the job. Besides, if I found another way I would just quit and assure them I would pay up, but without working for them.

"Excellent! We'll see you tomorrow after-school then!" And with that they disappeared into the music room, leaving me in the hall alone.

I forgot all about my promise to the kids, all the zeros of my debt just cramming itself into my head as I walked out the school. The price was ridiculous, the reason for my debt even worse. The anger that should have come when I was charged for the cups suddenly came, and I began stomping angrily. How come that stupid set was worth that much? How come she had to pay for it, since it was an accident and those guys were practically swimming in money? Why did she, one of the three commoners of the school, have to pay anything for those brats? That was just ridiculous!

The train doors opened and I entered, grasping one of the handles tightly to relieve some stress. My knuckles turned white and I just realized my lips were bleeding. I forced myself to stop biting, wiping the blood of while glaring at the floor. Why did rich brats have to do this? All those zeros.... It was probably _nothing _to them!

My stop was next and I rushed through the automatic doors as soon as they opened. I wanted to go home, to forget about my new debt. Right after I left the station, my legs gave out underneath me. Tears escaped my eyes, dripping down to the ground in waterfalls.

What the hell had I gotten myself in? It had been just then I had realized: I had no idea what job I had agreed to do. All I knew was that it was for those guys' Host Club. But didn't that sound... Perverted? I choked on my tears as my imagination went wild. What if I had just agreed to sell my body?! My heart beat quickened, I didn't want to- I would never! I tried to calm myself, trying to imagine a more normal job, if a tad bit abusive. But the images kept coming back...

* * *

It wasn't as bad as I thought.

I came to school sleepy, nightmares about my debt and what my possible new job could be haunting me in my dreams. Coffee was my savior that day, at least, even if I hated it's strong taste. The day went about normally, until the end of the last period. I was just walking out of the classroom, wondering how I would reach the music room again, when I bumped into someone. The apology just flew out of my mouth and I instantly regretted it as I saw who I bumped into. If I remembered correctly, his name was Kaoru. His brother and the brunette of the tea set were there also.

"Thought you might get lost." The other ginger said grinning, turning around to lead the rest of us through the corridors. I tried to remember how to get there, tried. These halls just looked all way too similar, with their pink walls, beautiful paintings, and useless coffee tables with adornments atop them.

When we reached the fancy double doors of the music room, they opened by themselves. Inside, the decoration took my breath away.

Small round tables were set throughout the room, all made of metal. Their legs curved elegantly where they touched the floor, giving it a somewhat old look, yet still it was beautiful. Obviously the tables had matching chairs, their head rest also curved outwards to match the table. On top of each table was a short impeccably white mantle and atop that there was a small vase holding roses or candles in the center of each. Rose petals decorated the floor, perfectly red and lush, just recently separated from its flower. A piano was set in the corner of the room, a small crimson cloth on top of it for decoration. Soft music played in the background and I could immediately tell it was the soft and graceful melody of tango.

My eyes were glued to the beautiful scenery. I was really surprised, I knew the room was completely different yesterday...

"Fuyuki-san, you're finally here. Help with the preparations." Glasses boy said, before suddenly realizing I didn't know any of their names (According to them). Quick presentations took place and I was immediately pushed to work. Unlike my wild and crazy imagination had thought, I would not be selling my body (Thank goodness!). Instead, I would be in charge of the decorations, tea and snacks, and cleaning most of the room by the end of the day. It seemed exhausting, but I would gladly take that over prostitution any day!

I set all the tables, placing a multi-floored pyramid filled with snacks in each as well as tea cups and plates. A blond shorty, Honey-senpai I was told, fawned over the snacks and I found it hard to believe he already graduated. He looked hardly old enough to have finished middle school... But with his childish nature and absolutely adorable face, as well as my love for kids, I couldn't help but smile every time I looked at him.

A handful of girls appeared, all wearing the frilly pale yellow dress that was the student female uniform. Every girl sat next to one of the "hosts", as I had learned, and proceeded to chat with them as they replied in a flirty manner. I did my job and filled the cups with tea, refilling them every so often when needed or serving more pastries once everything was eaten. Everything was pretty calm, except a moment in which everyone in the room squealed at something the guys did. Other than that, though, everything was peaceful.

Well, that was until the place suddenly became packed, everyone crowded into the large decorated music room.

Every girl wanted to sit next to her favorite type host, crowding themselves around them in any way possible (Elegantly, of course, they would be anything but unlady-like around their beloved hosts). Tea began to run out and I had to prepare some more, the complicated way which I didn't know. Thankfully, the tallest of the hosts, Mori-senpai, helped me prepare the tea and silently taught me how to do it myself.

I thanked him sincerely when the tea was done, resuming to hurriedly pour more tea to the waiting ladies. I apologized for the wait, like I always saw waiters do, and received a nice thank you from most ladies. This made me think that perhaps they weren't all that bad and not at all like I imagine, most of the time.

"Akira!" Tamaki said suddenly, making me wonder when I allowed him to call me by my first name. I didn't call him by his... "Go buy us some commoner's coffee!" He completed enthusiastically, sending me seducing smile that had his customers swooning.

"Commoner's... Coffee?" What the hell was he talking about? Commoner's coffee?

Haruhi-senpai stood up from his seat, excusing himself from his customers for a while. "Don't worry about it, Fuyuki-san, I know what he's talking about." I stared at him questioningly and the brunette sighed. "Instant Coffee"

I laughed slightly, instant coffee? Then why did he make such a stupid name for it?

Still not letting that go, I ushered Haruhi-senpai back to his seat and left the club room. If he wanted instant coffee so be it, that would be easy enough. Glasse- I mean, Ootori-senpai had given me the money to buy the coffee before I left and I was relieved to know I didn't have to pay for it myself. The closest convenience stare was close-by, so it only took a few minutes to go and come back.

I prepared the instant coffee and served it to those who wanted some, which were quite a few to my surprise. Instant coffee seemed to be too "common" for them, or that was the way I thought it would be.

The coffee was a success and by the end of the day all that I bought was gone. One by one the girls filed out the door, all the hosts waving at them with smiles plastered on. That was when the cleaning began.

First I had to take down the beautiful decorations. It was a shame, that they wouldn't let it stay up longer, though, the decoration was absolutely stunning. Hesitantly I folded the mantles one by one while the hosts changed into their normal clothes. As Ootori-senpai ordered me to, I piled the folded mantles inside a box which would probably take them back to a closet of all their different settings(According to what I've heard from the girls discussing with Ootori-senpai).

Everyone was back in the room, Haruhi-senpai kindly helping me clean up. All the others were just talking, either about the profit they had made or tomorrow's scenario decoration for the room.

With a pile of dirty dishes in my arms, I carefully walked towards the kitchen at the back of the club room. Every time a dish moved my heart skipped a beat, terrified that I would break something else. Thankfully that didn't seem to be the case since all that was left to do was wash the dishes.

Then the kitchen door snapped opened, banging against me. Only a few dishes fell since in my desperation I clung to as many as I could. Still, now I was on the floor clutching desperately at a few plates and cups with millions of pieces next to me.

Behind me, I could hear Ootori-senpai's fingers hitting his laptop's keyboard. "Tamaki, you'll be paying half of the broken cups that fell. Fuyuki, I already added that to you debt."

_Damn! _

* * *

_Sorry it took so long to write this chapter! It's pretty long for me... Anyway, thank you so much for reading! :)_


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